In The Still Of The Night
by x.Mayhem.x
Summary: They wore the night like people wear jeans: some just fit better than others. AU, some pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Since the Draft left a lot of people upset and disappointed, I'm going to go on an updating spree.**

**Which explains why I'm writing a new story when I should finish others first.**

**Set in AU. In case you missed it in the summary.**

* * *

It was the early hours of the night. Clouds blocked out all sources of light in the sky, with not even the moon breaking out from their tyranny. The city streets were still busy as the nightlife was in full swing: people walking in large groups towards clubs, chattering incessantly about the day's gossip. Vehicles raced by pedestrians, the people behind the wheel headed to nowhere and everywhere.

Even at one in the morning, the streets were as crazy as during the day.

In a way, he almost preferred it like this. Nobody would notice him walking amongst them. Just another face in the city, another person headed towards a bar or a club. It would all be generalization, of course. Neither place held any appeal to him and he often wondered what their appeal was to others.

Still, he walked along the streets, hands shoved deep within his jeans. A smirk crossed his lips as he pulled at the tight fabric, knowing full well that they were already as tight as they were going to get. It was degrading to himself, but he knew the unforgiving fabric was showing off his most distracting feature: his ass. For as long as he could remember, females would comment on how tight and firm it looked, as well as how round it was. At first, he thought it was rude how complete strangers would comment about his ass. Now, he used it to his full advantage.

Tonight was no different.

He could feel a set of eyes lingering on him, watching him as he walked. There was the temptation to find the source, but he could risk losing their attention. Instead, his smirk only widened into a grin as he raked his fingers through his midnight black hair, pushing it away from his face.

Without trying too hard, he could tell that whoever was watching him was fixated with his behind.

'_It shouldn't be long before –'_

"Excuse me?" There was a light tap on his shoulder that made him stop and turn around.

The young woman in front of him couldn't have been more than twenty-one, possibly twenty-two. Her bleach blonde hair hung loosely around her face, her eyes shimmering in the dim streetlight. If he hadn't have known any better, he would have guessed her to be a prostitute from the way she was dressed. Her breasts were barely concealed in an outfit that looked like it belonged in the bedroom, not out on the streets. There was nothing even remotely attractive about the woman that led to his fascination with her.

It wasn't hard for him to fake a charming smile as he brushed his hair back again, despite how violated he felt with her eyes looking him up and down. Still, he never faltered as she started to talk again.

"Umm... I was just trying to find my way to Zero Gravity. You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?"

He actually had no clue where this place was, but that didn't stop him for a moment. "Yeah, of course I do. Who doesn't?"

If possible, his smile grew at the way she blushed, obviously flustered.

'_Too easy.'_ He thought as he allowed her to rest her manicured hands on his bicep as he led her a few streets down.

As she talked mindlessly to him, he paid little attention to her and more attention to the streets. The further they walked, the less people there seemed to be. It didn't take long before they were completely alone.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around before looking up at him. "I thought you said you were taking me to Zero Gravity?"

In an instant, he had her pinned against a building. A laugh passed through his lips as his companion wriggled uselessly against him.

She stopped trying to break free as she looked up at him, terror distorting her already unattractive face. Her voice cracked and she stuttered when she spoke.

"Wh-who d-d-do you th-think you are?"

"I know who I am." He replied, his voice laced with lust and desire. Putting more pressure on his victim, he brought his lips to her ear. "I'm your worst nightmare."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm a sucker for bribery.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

He never understood why he preyed on her type. It always left him feeling unclean and with a bad taste in his mouth, usually lasting for hours, sometimes even days.

'_Easy, but sleazy.'_ He thought, pulling a face as he entered through the large oak doors.

"You're in trouble." A sing-song voice said, skipping up to him. Her long reddish-brown hair fell in waves around her face, her green eyes shining brightly, despite how dim the room was.

With a roll of his eyes, he tossed his Cubs jacket over the nearest piece of furniture. "Ria, go find somebody else to annoy."

The leggy young woman followed after him, a bounce in her step. "But I was told to wait for you to come back. Something about you really screwing things up... I can't remember."

"Only you could be so vapid." He muttered, walking down a corridor and leaving behind the headache known as Maria.

"Thanks!" she called after him energetically, to which he just raised a hand.

'_I don't even want to know what she thinks that means.'_

His tolerance for Maria varied, depending on how often he saw her. Most nights, it wasn't too bad because she was off somewhere with Ashley, gossiping about something or other. Another thing he neither got nor wanted to understand.

"At least Massaro is tolerable." He muttered, walking up one of many staircases in the oversized manor.

'_Speak of the Devil...'_

The woman in question made her way down the staircase, her dirty blonde hair hanging limp around her face. Her black boots echoed loudly on the stairs, causing him to groan.

"You think you could make any more noise?"

A smirk crossed her lips. "At least I'm not making the news, Brooks."

Quick reflexes allowed him to bar Ashley's way down the stairs. "Making the news?"

"You don't know?" Her smirk grew wider as she crossed her arms under her generous bosom. "Guess you haven't been home long enough for –"

"Phillip Jack Brooks." There was no mistaking the force and the frustration behind each word.

"Well, I'll see you later." Ashley giggled, ducking around Phil and bouncing down the stairs.

Quickly, Phil spun around on the step, not even wobbling as he looked down. At the foot of the steps stood the person he had probably come to know the longest in his existence.

Ace Steel.

Without saying a word, Ace walked away, Phil bounding down the steps and catching up easily with the shorter blond man, keeping a few paces behind. He could tell from the rigid posture that something was not right in the house, but it wasn't until they entered the dining hall that he realised how bad it was.

Every seat at the table, sans two, was occupied. Ace promptly took a seat to the left of the head of the table, leaving Phil to take the remaining seat between Scott Colt and Jeff Hardy.

A hush fell over the table as Dory Funk, Jr. stood. Easily the most senior member in the room, it wasn't hard for him to command everybody's attention as he spoke.

"We, here in this room, have a serious problem on our hands." He started, looking up and down the table at each individual. Even with the brief pause, nobody dared to make a sound. "As it is well documented, we are of a race that is slowly being weaned out. In this country alone, we are one of five civilizations and are the largest population of those five. Where there is safety in numbers, it also tends to get us into some less than pleasant situations."

Dory looked to his left, giving Ace a nod before taking his seat once again.

His palms placed firmly on the table, Ace rose and continued with the speech. "Around five-thirty this morning, a body was discovered submerged in the Chicago River. Police have identified it as twenty-two year old Barbara Blank, a bikini model for Hawaiian Tropics."

Phil's face fell as he realised who his victim was in the early morning. Still, he paid attention as Ace continued on.

"- thankfully, they have no leads to who it may be as of yet. But they'll be on their toes and definitely a lot more wary to what goes on in Chicago. I know there are a few of us-" his gaze fell on Phil and Scott "- who enjoy the Chicago lifestyle, as well as how much easier to feed there, but it would not be smart to venture there as often anymore. Unless, of course, you dispose of your meal a lot better than the local river."

By now, Ace's piercing blue eyes were settled solely on Phil, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat as several more eyes looked at him. It was a relief when Dory stood, placing a hand on the blond man's shoulder. The stare was broken as Ace took a seat and the older man began to speak once more.

"Our existence is one not filled with risk, but there will be a need to be more secretive now. Once Ms. Blank's death becomes public knowledge, it will only be a matter of time before they will come after us again."

From the corner of his eye, Phil saw Chris' head bow, eyes closed. Quickly, guilt was settling in the pit of his stomach as he looked back towards the head of the table.

"And this time, we may not be as fortunate as we once were."


	3. Chapter 3

**This took too long to write. My apologies.**

* * *

The news of Barbara Blank's death spread like wildfire, gracing entertainment sections of newspapers across America. News reporters held interviews with Ms. Blank's family and friends, as well as with the investigators working on the case. One such interview was being played on a widescreen television in what appeared to be a conference room in a corporate building. Three burly men sat in the room, watching the screen intently as the report came to an end.

"_The death of the model still remains unknown, and seems to be an isolated case. An autopsy will be performed later this week to verify the cause. For ABC7 news, this is Chuck Goudie reporting."_

The screen went black after the segment and the lights were turned back up. The men stayed quiet as another joined them, standing in front of the room. His gray hair was slicked to the side in a partial comb over, his eyes dark and foreboding as he looked at them.

"Gentlemen." He addressed them, clasping his hands tightly. "As we have seen, a young talent has been murdered in an unidentifiable fashion to the crime scene investigators. However, sources say that the only physical damage is a set of marks."

"Drug overdose?" One suggested, running his fingers through the little hair he had.

"And she threw herself in the river?" The blond beside him snorted, rolling his eyes at the newbie. "Yeah, that's exactly it."

Intense blue eyes glared at the bigger man, not appreciating the attitude. It wasn't like he wanted the job entirely, but after seeing his wife dragged off before his eyes, he had promised to avenge his loss. Now, a year later, he was just coming from The Academy and ready for his first time out.

The elderly man continued with his briefing, ignoring the comments and the looks being exchanged.

"Vampire bite, by the sounds of it. Set of teeth marks to the jugular vein. It's not known for certain, but chances are that we have a rogue vampire to contend with."

"Are we sure it's just one?" The biggest man asked, his arms crossed over his broad pecs.

The thought sent shudders down all their spines, tiny hairs standing on end at the back of their necks.

One vampire was bad enough, but a brood of them...

That was a suicide mission.

* * *

Night had fallen around the mansion and not a being dared venture beyond the parameter. Fear had been instilled into the entire group. Those who had not hunted before the incident were relying on their stored blood in the cellar, and even those were quickly depleting at the sheer number of their group.

"Don't worry 'bout it. It'll pass in a few days and everything will be back to normal."

Phil and Scott were roaming the backyard rather aimlessly, the younger man trying to ease his friend's misery with little success.

"Not the way Ace explained it afterwards." Phil sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

_Dory, Ace and Finlay exited the room first, leaving the others to slowly follow suit. Chris and Phil were the last to leave, the latter feeling guilty for the pain the blond Canadian was obviously feeling. With his head hung in shame, the Chicago native left the room, unable to take sit in such morose silence._

_Just outside the room, Ace waited for him patiently. On either side were Maria and Scott, though they sat against the wall._

"_I almost thought you wouldn't come out." Ace said light-heartedly, perfectly aware of all the emotions his child was feeling. _

_Phil shrugged, hooking his thumbs into his pockets. "Would've made everything a lot easier."_

"_Phil, you can't blame yourself." Maria moved to his side, carefully taking his hand in both of hers. "You acted on impulse."_

_For the first time in a long time, he didn't care that she was treating him so tenderly. It didn't ease him any, but it was nice to know that even she was still there for him._

"_I should've been more careful." He muttered, his eyes lowered to the ground. _

"_Woulda, coulda, shoulda. But in all seriousness, you three venture into Chicago more often than not. For the sake of the clan, it would be best if none of you go into the city anymore."_

_There were objections on Scott's, Phil's and Maria's lips, though they dared not say anything out loud. _

"Why do you even go there anyway?" Scott asked, looking over at Phil. "There was no appeal to you there before. You'd think there'd be less of one now."

Phil shrugged, stopping and looking up at the overcast sky. "I don't even know why. It's like I'm looking for something, you know? Something that... I don't know. Probably doesn't exist."

"You're looking for her."

It was stated so matter-of-fact that it momentarily caught him off-guard.

"How can I be looking for her?"

'_She's dead, after all.'_


	4. Chapter 4

**I hold no hard feelings towards any characters. I just had this idea and went with it.**

* * *

"He's moping."

"No, he's fine. Just let him be."

"How can he be fine when he hasn't left his room in days?"

It had been a week since the meeting. By now, most of the clan deemed it safe to venture away from their home. There were still a few who seemed worried, such as the Elders, but most felt safe in pairs. Phil, however, seemed content to lock himself away in his room, much to the speculation of the other clan members.

Now, Maria, Ashley and Melina were walking up one of the many staircases, discussing Phil's isolation.

"It's Phil. He'd rather be alone most of the time; now especially." Melina argued, flipping back her black waves.

Maria shook her head, lightly gliding her hand along the railing. "You don't understand, 'Lina."

"And you do?"

The redhead worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her green eyes downcast. She knew she wasn't the smartest person out there, but she prided herself on being able to understand people. But Melina had her doubting herself.

"... It's complicated." She sighed, feeling dejected.

Ashley shook her head at the two of them. "C'mon, guys. Do you always have to argue?"

"Yes." They stated simultaneously, causing the blonde to roll her eyes.

It was silent as they reached the next floor, much to Ashley and Maria's relief. The silence was short-lived as the Latina started again.

"Besides, it's better he's alone. Phil is a death sentence to us all. I mean, Chicago? Really? Nothing good has ever come from that damn city."

It was as good as a kick to the stomach for Maria, who looked sharply at Melina. Warily, Ashley stepped between the two, sensing the tension coming off the redhead.

Still, there was no stopping the raven haired beauty. "I get that the life in that city is electrifying and that there's an appeal. But damn it, he almost exposed us, not to mention he was the one who brought home our biggest risk yet. Fuck he's dumb."

That was it.

Maria stopped abruptly, her green eyes hard and fierce. Her temper was flaring as she glared at Melina.

"So I'm the biggest risk? Him bringing me back here and having me turned? What about you, Mel?"

Melina turned on her heel, her arms crossed. "What about me?"

"I've heard stories about you. How you love 'em and leave 'em, taking all you want until you tire of them. If anybody is a threat to this race, it's you. All it takes is some resentful bastard to give your name, they trace your birth record and realise you should be dead!"

"How dare you..."

"Guys, please." Ashley begged, stepping between the two and sending the redhead a pleading look. "Us arguing won't solve anything."

With a huff, both women turned and stormed off, Melina to her room and Maria back down the stairs. Pressing a hand to her forehead, the blonde closed her eyes. She hated when they got like this, which was often. Whenever they were together for more than fifteen minutes and allowed to speak.

"I hate doing this." She murmured.

"Hate doing what?"

Ash jumped as two arms wrapped around her waist. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

"Maria and Melina?"

"As if you had to ask." She relaxed into the embrace, feeling at ease in the strong arms.

"Forget about them. Let me make it better." Kisses were placed below her ear, trailing kisses along her neck.

"Matt, stop." Ashley tried to sound impatient, only to start laughing.

The dark haired Hardy only smirked, pinning the blonde tighter against him. "And if I refuse?"

"You're such a jerk." She laughed, wriggling free from his grip. With a playful smirk, she skipped away, completely unaware of what was going on below.

* * *

Phil sat in his room, the heavy curtains closed with only an old fashioned kerosene lamp lit beside him. To him, it was better than candles, especially when he was so down.

'_Candles are for the dead, anyway.'_

There was a knock at his door that he recognised all too well. Closing his eyes, he was tempted to just ignore it, only to feel personally responsible for the one outside his door. With a careful flick, the lamp was put out as he walked over to the door, unlocked the deadbolt and swung it open.

And for a brief moment, he was thrown off balance.

It felt like he had stepped back in time. Trembling, he reached out and brushed loose strands of hair from her face.

"Christy..."

As soon as the name rolled off his tongue, the image shifted. His fingers were tangled in red hair, but it wasn't as fiery as before. The face was rounder, fuller. Ice blue eyes melted into emerald green. Blinking a few times, he came to grip the fact that the woman in front of him wasn't the woman he had been thinking about.

Still, with a small smile, he pulled her into the room and shut the door.

"What are you doing here, 'Ria?"

Maria lifted a hand to his cheek, cupping it gently. "I came because I..." She let herself trail off, and Phil understood it to mean that she wasn't sure why she had.

But in that instant, that moment in time, he didn't really care. "It doesn't matter."

"Phil, I –" she was cut off by her own little squeak as arms were wrapped around her, crushing her to him. His fingers ran through the mass of hair, his voice oddly soothing.

He hadn't spoken to her like that in months.

"I swear, I won't let anything happen to you." He promised, sounding determined. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know." She sighed softly, resting her head against his shoulder.

"My Christy..."

She sighed again, blood tears staining Phil's shirt. "I'll be your Christy for you."

'_But you'll have to let her go eventually.'_

He pulled back slightly, lifting Maria's chin. They stood there, eye to eye for several moments. A lopsided smile crossed his lips as he lowered his head, closing some of the distance between the two.

"I don't need you to be Christy."

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach, her lip caught between her teeth.

He brought his lips to her ear and whispered faintly. "I want you to be my Maria."

The possessiveness touched her as more red tears cascaded down her cheeks. But the tears were for him. She ran her fingers through thick black hair, shaking her head.

"You've been through too much, Phil." She cooed softly, trying to smile. "Rest. You've had a hard few days."

"But –"

"Shh." She pressed an index finger to his lips, cutting him off before he could protest. "Clear your head, and if you still want me, come find me."

Maria pulled away, opening the door slowly. "Goodnight, Punk."

Before he could react, she shut the door and ran.


End file.
